A Castle in Clarens: A Fairytale Stay in the Free State in South Africa
Imagine arriving at a castle, yes, in South Africa, of all places. You read that right. We actually stayed in a castle in Clarens. And not just any castle, but one that looks straight out of a fairytale. Think Rapunzel’s tower, the one where she lets down her long golden hair for the prince to climb up. (Here’s a quick refresher on that story, in case your childhood memories are a bit dusty.)
Pulling up to this whimsical stone structure in the middle of the Free State felt surreal; we couldn’t stop being amazed by it. The turrets, the arched doorway, even the winding stairs: it all had that fairytale charm that makes you grin the moment you see it.
We’d just driven from Bloemfontein, where we spent the night at the Hobbit Boutique Hotel for a short stopover: yes, another storybook name!
The road from there to Clarens was calm and scenic, lined with wide open fields and distant mountains, giving us plenty of time to enjoy this unknown route through South Africa.
The Gate: Where the Fairytale Begins
The fairytale feeling starts long before you even reach the front door. As we turned off the main road and followed a dusty path through the fields (again, we were happy that we rented a 4w drive car, versus the 2w drive on our previous trip to South Africa), two weathered towers came into view.
A wrought-iron gate stood between them, curved like a dragon’s wings, with a sign above that read: “Welcome to Castle in Clarens – Let the fantasy begin…”
You can’t help but grin when you spot the smaller sign on the side:
“Guests only. Trespassers will be taken to the Torture Chamber.”
It sets the tone perfectly — a mix of humor and imagination that continues throughout the property
Where Is This Castle, Exactly?
The castle itself is perched on a small hill just outside Clarens, in the Eastern Free State, with wide open fields all around. The closer you get, the more you see of the mountains in the distance: those are the Maluti Mountains, stretching toward Lesotho, and from where you can visit the breathtaking Golden Gates Highlands National Park.
It’s one of those spots where you automatically slow down, just to take it in. The landscape here feels different: peaceful, a bit wild, and very quiet. You can see for miles.
The castle sits completely on its own, no cars, nothing but wind and birds. It really does feel like your own little kingdom for a night. (We stayed 2).
Well, we were not completely alone, to be fair, there is a little building on the same domain for the people doing the housekeeping every day, if you wish.
Husband was curious about what this little extra building was. It turned out that the housekeeping staff remained there to do your laundry if needed.
And also a second building for travellers to stay in: a Palace from Alladin, yes, for sure! The housekeeper showed us the interior of that one too, but out of respect, we didn’t take pictures of the interior of that one. Maybe another day!
You can check the exact spot on Booking.com and Tripadvisor, though the photos don’t quite capture that feeling when you first see it standing there on the hill!
You can easily park your car and then enter the garden of Rapunzel’s tower!
Thick stone walls, tiny and bigger arched windows, and a heavy wooden door that creaked as we pushed it open: it all felt straight out of a storybook.
The living room.
The first thing you see when you walk in is the living room, and it really sets the tone. There’s a tall ceiling, a beautiful wrought iron railing that winds up the staircase (It’s the kind of handmade detail you rarely see anymore), a big fireplace, and details everywhere you look. The furniture is old-style but comfortable, and it immediately feels like a place where you could spend a cozy evening with a glass of wine and forget about the outside world.
I actually filmed a short video of the entrance and the living area, so you can see what I mean:
Everything inside has that mix of medieval charm and South African creativity: from the iron candleholders to the framed artwork and the thick curtains that make the light feel warm and golden. You can tell the owners had fun designing it!
The kitchen and sundeck
Up the stairs, you walk straight into the kitchen, which honestly looks like something out of a medieval movie. The thick stone walls continue to form the tower, wooden cupboards, and a solid old-fashioned table that makes you want to cook something hearty.
To our surprise, there was a huge crown on that table, again, those details, wow!
Right next to it, through a large wooden door, is the sundeck, and that’s where we spent most of our time. There’s a built-in braai area (that’s South African for barbecue), and the view is just incredible: wide open hills and endless sky. We had coffee there in the morning, and later watched the sun go down with a drink in hand. (and we got some free and incredibly tasty red wine from the hosts!)
It really was fantastic. You can see a bit of it in my video here:
👑 The Bedrooms: One for the King, One for the Princess
The King’s Bedroom is on the ground floor, and it’s warm and inviting, and has a toilet and shower in a seperate room. There’s a big, comfortable bed, and on one side, the highlight of the room: a gorgeous wall painting of Rapunzel and her prince. It fits perfectly with the fairytale theme of the whole place.
On the little bedside table sits a gold crown — and yes, you can actually wear it. It’s such a fun touch!
Up the stairs is the Princess Bedroom (Rapunzel, in this case), and it really steals the show: I said ‘WOW’ a few times – lol. (see video below)
The high wooden ceiling with its chandelier, the beautiful carved bed with fine detailing, and those wide windows looking out over the Maluti Mountains: it’s breathtaking. There’s even a tiara resting on the nightstand, ready for anyone who wants to play the part.
I felt like a princess for 2 days!
And then there’s the bathtub — positioned right by the window, with a view that stretches for miles. Taking a bath there feels like the perfect mix of luxury and fairy tale.
The only thing I could imagine being tricky is the summer heat up in that top room, with all the sunlight streaming in, but it’s still the kind of space you’d happily linger in all day.
The castle isn’t in the village of Clarens itself: it’s a short drive away, down a dirt road that winds through open farmland. An off-road vehicle or 4×4 can be useful, especially after rain, but honestly, you can make it with a normal car if you take it slow. The distance from town also means one wonderful thing: peace and quiet.
At night, there’s no sound at all — just the wind, maybe a bird or two, and that’s it. The whole atmosphere feels unreal, almost like living in a fairytale. I’m 53, and I’ve never had such a magical place to stay on my travels to Africa in my life.
The castle is self-catering, but you don’t have to worry about bringing everything along. The kitchen is well equipped, and you have your own braai area on the sundeck if you want to cook outside. And if you need supplies or feel like eating out, the village of Clarens has plenty of little shops, cafés, and restaurants.
view from the braai area
Then there’s the sunset. Sitting on the bench outside, watching the sun drop behind the Maluti Mountains, is something I’ll never forget. The light turns the hills gold.
After dark, we stayed outside again, this time to watch the stars. There’s little light pollution (you càn see the town Clarens though), so the sky is full of them. My husband tried to set up our Nikon Coolpix950 to capture a short time-lapse of the stars “moving,” but we couldn’t get it quite right. Still, for anyone into astrophotography or night-sky videos, this place would be perfect.
The Castle has no Wifi, but it did have a good mobile connection. But after you see all this, who needs Wifi? 🙂
The castle is spotless and hyper-clean, from the wonderful garden to every detail; there’s no dust in sight! I do not understand some people who don’t give 5-star reviews on cleanliness!
Things to Do Around Clarens
If you decide to stay at the Castle in Clarens, make sure to plan at least a day or two to explore the area: it’s one of the most scenic parts of the Free State.
We visited the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, which is only about a 15-minute drive from the castle. The park is famous for its striking sandstone cliffs that glow gold in the late afternoon sun. There are a few beautiful hiking routes, picnic spots, and lookout points, and if you’re lucky, you might spot some antelope along the way, or even vultures in the bird hide, where the birds are fed to study them. It’s absolutely worth it.
Back in Clarens, the village itself is small but lively. There are little art galleries, coffee shops, and local craft stores that are perfect for a relaxed morning walk.
If you’re into outdoor activities, there’s also horse riding, mountain biking, and yes, a golf course just outside the village for anyone who wants a quiet round surrounded by mountain views.
My final conclusion
If you’ve ever dreamed of spending a night in a castle, yes, in Africa, the Castle in Clarens is one of those rare places where it actually happens. It’s quiet, full of personality, and feels like stepping into a story for a while.
Everything about it, from the funny gate sign to the crowns and tiaras on the bedside tables, is done with a sense of humor and love for detail. It’s not a luxury hotel in the traditional sense: it’s something better.
If you’d like to experience it for yourself, you can check availability and prices here:
Who am I? Well, the least you can say is that I am quite crazy about Africa, its nature, its climate, its culture, and more.
As a young woman in my twenties, I had already traveled to several African countries by traveling along in an overlander on my own and mostly camping ( or glamping ) and just fell in love with the diversity of it all.
So much, so that at the age of 26, I went back to university to study biology, which, unfortunately, I couldn’t finish because of health reasons (yes, I got sick from a tropical disease, oh cynicism). But this did not stop my dream of traveling back to Africa several times, and I still do.
My dream was back then to leave Europe and go study animal behavior, especially the elephants (sure, that’s every girl’s dream haha), but I am also very much intrigued by hyenas and other “ugly African animals“.
So, I “kind of” have a little bit of a scientific approach to my articles, when I write about African birds, for example. And most of all: the passion.
But life goes on, you move from one side of the country to the other, you get sick again and top it off with lower back problems, and before you know it, you are over 50 hahaha!
Now, I still travel to Africa, but take it a bit “easier” than the good old camping days, and stay in comfortable, yet affordable accommodations, together with my husband Wouter.
These are some of the countries I have traveled to: Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tunisia, and a little bit of Lesotho LOL .
While clearly not being African territory, but Spanish, I also visited Gran Canaria and Tenerife, and location-wise, I consider them “African”, because of their climate and nature, sue me :-p
The last trip I took was to South Africa in the year 2023, and it sure got the fevers for Africa back! From the Barberton mountains to the Drakensberg and the Southcoast, one month wasn’t enough at all to see the whole country, so we’ll be back! At ease and with a little bit more luxury than in my younger days haha!
